There are many ways we can analyze the makeup of our current Congress: age, education, religion, gender, or ethnicity. But let’s keep it simple and focus on a key question relevant to this movement: how did members of Congress make their money before holding office?
A profile of the 119th Congress offers some insight (1):
“The most common professions are law, business, and public service/politics. For example, 31% of the House Members, and 47% of Senators, have law degrees and have practiced law. Three hundred five House Members (70%) and 82 Senators (82%) have served as elected officials at the local, state, or federal level before arriving in Congress… At least 135 House Members (31%) and 28 Senators (28%) have been owners, founders, or executives of businesses or companies.”
Now compare those numbers to the broader U.S. population. As of January 1, 2024, there were approximately 1,322,649 lawyers in the United States (2). At the same time, the total population was about 338,505,183 (3). That means lawyers make up just 0.39% of the population—yet they account for 31% of the House and nearly half of the Senate.
Business owners, founders, and executives are a bit harder to quantify precisely, but it's safe to say that one in three or four people you know likely aren’t business owners or high-level executives. And yet, these roles are disproportionately represented in Congress.
This imbalance matters. When we see legislation that stretches past 1,000 pages, it’s understandable why the average American may feel overwhelmed—or opt out entirely. But it’s worth asking: who actually benefits from legislation written with this level of complexity? The answer, more often than not, is the wealthy class. They help write the laws, their businesses benefit, profits soar to record highs, they buy back stock—and then they repeat the cycle with every new administration.
Meanwhile, what does the Common Class gain?
We’re not suggesting a one-to-one match between every profession and seats in Congress. Instead, we’re advocating for candidates from a wide variety of fields—people whose experiences better reflect the country as a whole. You can view our current team here: https://howtosaveademocracy.com/party/who-we-are.html. That list will likely evolve as more individuals contribute their perspectives and join the movement.
The biggest hurdle ahead is recruiting 290+ House candidates and 33+ Senate candidates—and we’re racing against the clock. While all candidates must register with the Federal Elections Commission, they must also declare their candidacy with their respective state. These deadlines vary widely, but in states like Texas, North Carolina, Illinois, and Arkansas, filings may close as early as November or December 2025 (4). Candidates may also need to gather signatures or meet fundraising thresholds just to appear on the ballot. We must act now to ensure logistical issues don’t shut us out of the process.
We need to identify leaders in each congressional district and across the states. You know your community—you know who stands out. Give them the nudge they need to run. And remind them: they won’t be alone. They won’t need to fundraise or campaign in the traditional sense. A core promise of this movement is that we promote a shared vision, not individual candidates.
Of course, our candidates will still face attacks. We can’t stop opposition money from flowing. But we welcome imperfect candidates—many of our founding leaders were deeply flawed. What matters most is the strength of their ideas, their commitment to public service, and a genuine desire to build a better country. We need bold ideas and brave leadership to confront the entrenched systems that fuel wealth inequality.
To close, I’ll leave you with a quote from a 1787 letter by Thomas Jefferson to William Stephens Smith (5):
“God forbid we should ever be 20 years without such a rebellion. The people can not be all, and always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions it is a lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty.”
In other words: The more significant the truth we are being denied, the greater our outrage should be. And the truth we’ve been denied is simple: the wealthy have been getting richer and richer off our labor. If we don’t reject the distortions and outright lies that enable this inequality, we will eventually lose our power to shape the government that is supposed to serve us all.